The present invention relates to hanging pots of a type generally used for plants and flowers. Such pots are commonly formed of a plastic material and have an annular flange or rim around the top thereof designed to accept some type of hanger device. The most popular of these pots is used in conjunction with a wire suspension member of the type including three or four wire strands connected together at the top by a hook. Each strand is inserted into one of a plurality of apertures in the rim of the pot and the end of the wire is twisted around the rim and itself to secure the wire.
Many problems arise with these conventional wire hangers; problems related to attachment and removal from the pot, and problems with adjusting the hangers so that the pots hang level. To ensure that the pots are level, each of the wire strands must be inserted through the rim aperture the same distance. Then, as the wire is twisted up around the rim of the pot and back around itself, the length of the strands must be maintained consistently around the pot. While this can be accomplished, it is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, in large scale nurseries the attachment of the hangers to the pots becomes an expensive procedure because of the time that personnel must devote to the task.
Further problems occur at the consumer level. If the pots are not hanging level, the wires can be difficult for the consumer to untwist and reposition. Or, the wires can be difficult to remove completely if the consumer wants to put the pot into a cachepot or basket.
Other types of hangers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,440,371; 4,138,803; and 3,943,661. Generally, these patents are directed to container hangers which are made out of plastic and which have a variety of means for attaching the hanger to the container. However, it has been found that plastic hangers are subject to problems equal to or greater than those of wire hangers. Although the ends of the plastic hangers can be formed into a variety of shapes of hooks and other means for attachment to the pot rim, the plastic hangers are quite frequently subject to stretching and/or breaking under the weight of a potted plant. Additionally, if the plastic strands or plastic wires are not properly moded or extruded, the enlarged tips (such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,661) snap off before ever being used or at the time they are attached to heavy pots.
It was to overcoming these disadvantages and to the provision of an improved and unique metallic wire hanger that the present inventor turned. Although metallic wire cannot be as easily shaped and molded as plastic products, metallic wire is far stronger and has a far longer life than comparable plastic hangers. The present hanger is comprised essentially of a metallic wire hanger having a hook suspension member and at least three depending connecting wires, and a container having a rim with a uniquely configured annular flange around the top thereof.
Each of the connecting wires includes, on the tip thereof, an enlarged member or "protuberance" which is readily inserted into complementarily-shaped slots in the annular flange or rim of the container and snapped into a retainer means or cavity beneath the rim, thus connecting the hanger to the container.
In the preferred embodiment the protuberance is formed by curling the end of the wire around to form an eyelet-shaped enlargement on the end of the strand. A plurality of identically shaped T-slots are equidistantly spaced circumferentially around the annular rim of the container.
An eyelet retainer means in the form of a cavity is provided beneath the rim and the leg portion of the T-slot to receive the eyelet and securely retain it in position within the leg portion of the T-slot. The cavity is formed by a block-like projection or boss which is molded into the under portion of the annular rim, beneath the leg portion of the T-slot. The leg portion of the slot extends through the wall of the block-like boss into communication with the aforesaid cavity which receives the eyelet. In the cavity there is also formed a nodule or bead molded onto a sidewall onto which the eyelet is snapped. The cavity is of such size and shape as to functionally engage the eyelet and hold it in place. The bead further ensures inadvertent dislodgement of the eyelet or protuberance.
Other forms of enlargements or protuberances might be formed on the end of the wires and will be discussed in detail below. For example, it is possible that the boss and cavity configuration could be eliminated and the protuberance merely held in place by virture of the protuberance being wider than the T-shaped slot in the rim, however, such construction would not offer all the advantages of the illustrated embodiment. It can be seen that the present invention achieves the objective of providing a metallic wire hanger for plant containers; which hanger overcomes the problems and disadvantages of prior designs. Further advantages and objectives wlll become apparent to those skilled in the art as the following detailed description is studied in conjunction with the following drawings.